Purchase tracking system

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method embodied in a system for tracking add-on purchases of consumers is provided. The tracking system includes a delivery device associated with a predetermined add-on that is recognizable to a consumer and identifiable at the point of sale. The delivery device is attachable to a container retaining an underlying purchased product. The delivery device may provide a mounting portion and a reservoir of the predetermined add-on. The mounting portion is adapted to attach to a portion of the container, wherein the reservoir is displaceable from a sealed position to a ruptured position so that the predetermined add-on combines with the underlying purchased product within the container.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 61/933,627, filed 30 Jan. 2014, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to purchase tracking systems and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method embodied in a system for tracking add-on purchases of consumers.

Retailers may provide options for their consumers in an attempt to make a profitable sale. Typically, an underlying product lends itself to a host of complementary add-on products. In the context of a seller of beverages, the beverage seller has the ability to provide said add-ons—such as additional flavoring, complementary products, nutritional supplements and the like—to the underlying purchased product. For example, a coffee shop has the opportunity to provide to the underlying coffee purchased add-ons including, but not limited to, additional spices, espresso shots, vitamin supplements or the like.

Currently, retailers who may provide said add-ons may present them in a manner that is not customer-recognizable, and as are lost opportunity to increase profit margins. Similarly, some retailers may have these add-ons available in a customer-recognizable format, but offer them in such a way that is not easily quantifiable and identifiable at the point of sale, and so the consumption of the add-ons is not identified and thus not charged at the point of sale—again hurting the profit margins of the seller.

As can be seen, there is a need for an apparatus and method embodied in a system for tracking add-on purchases of consumers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a delivery device for delivering a predetermined add-on to a container, wherein the predetermined add-on comprises a reservoir housing the predetermined add-on; a seal disposed along a portion of the reservoir, wherein the seal is displaceable in a sealed position and a ruptured position; and a de-sealer configured to displace the seal to the ruptured position, wherein the reservoir is configured to connect to an inner portion of the container.

In another aspect of the present invention, a predetermined add-on purchase tracking system comprises a container providing a containment space for an underlying purchased product; and a delivery device comprising: a reservoir housing the predetermined add-on; a seal disposed along a portion of the reservoir, wherein the seal is displaceable in a sealed position and a ruptured position; and a de-sealer configured to displace the seal to the ruptured position, wherein the delivery device is attached to a portion of the container so that the rupture position communicates to the containment space, and wherein the portion of the container forms an identifiable configuration indicative of the predetermined add-on.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of identifying the purchase of a predetermined add-on by utilizing the above mentioned system comprises the steps of integrally forming the delivery device to the portion of the container; coloring the portion of the container a predetermined color; and placing the portion of the container in visual proximity of an underlying purchased product.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows various views on an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus and method embodied in a system for tracking add-on purchases of consumers. The tracking system includes a delivery device associated with a predetermined add-on that is recognizable to a consumer and identifiable at the point of sale. The delivery device is attachable to a container retaining an underlying purchased product. The delivery device may provide a mounting portion and a reservoir of the predetermined add-on. The mounting portion is adapted to attach to a portion of the container, wherein the reservoir is displaceable from a sealed position to a ruptured position so that the predetermined add-on combines with the underlying purchased product within the container.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3, the present invention may include a delivery device and method embodied in a tracking system 100 for tracking add-on purchases of consumers. The delivery device 40 may attach to a container 10 of an underlying purchased product. The delivery device 40 may include a mounting portion 46 and a reservoir 20. The reservoir 20 may house a predetermined add-on purchase. The predetermined add-on purchase may include liquid and/or solid food stuff that can be safely consumed by human including potable water, honey, flavoring, dairy products, artificial coloring, coffee-based products, tea, carbonated beverages, fruit, fruit juices, viscous foods and the like. The mounting portion 46 be attached or integrally formed to a portion of the container. The portion of the container may include, but not be limited to, the sidewalls of the container, a base of the container, a lid of the container 10, and the like. The container 10 may be dimensioned and adapted to retain the underlying purchased product within a containment space 30. The underlying purchased product may be liquid, viscous and solid food stuff. The lid may be detachable from a body of the container, wherein the lid operatively contains the underlying purchased product in the containment space 30.

The container 10 may include at least one side wall defining a container opening, wherein the container opening communicates to the containment space 30. The container 10 may be a cylinder, conic, or other suitable geometric shapes for retaining the underlying purchased product in the containment space 30. In certain embodiments, the container 10 may have a base wall extending along the at least one sidewall, wherein the base wall may be used to support the container 10 on a horizontal surface, with the container opening in the upright position. The container 10 opening may be circular, oval or any other suitable geometric shape for transmitting the contents.

The reservoir 20 may include at least one seal 44 disposed along at least a portion of the reservoir, wherein the at least one seal 44 is displaceable from a sealed position to a ruptured position. The ruptured position may form at least one ruptured aperture for communicating between the reservoir 20 and the containment space 30, through which the predetermined add-on may be dispersed. The reservoir 20 may provide at least one de-sealer 50 adapted to displace the seal 44 from the sealed position to the ruptured position. The de-sealer 50 may be adapted and sized to operatively engage the reservoir 20 and to be accessible from the outside the container 10, for example, by being received through a de-sealing opening 52, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The de-sealer 50 may be, but not limited to, a pull string. In certain embodiments, the de-sealing opening 52 may also be sized and adapted to transmit the underlying purchased product, separately or in combination with the disbursed predetermined add-on, hereinafter “contents,” from the containment space 30, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The reservoir 20 may be sized and adapted to conform to the portion of the container so as to be operatively disposed thereon, attached thereto or integrally formed thereof. In certain embodiments, the reservoir 20 may be incorporated into a removable lid 42, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In an alternative embodiment thereof, the de-sealer 50 may be the pull string that is received through the de-sealing opening 52 formed in the removable lid 42, wherein the de-sealing opening 52 is the pour hole of the removable lid 42. In some embodiments, the pull string may provide a pull tab 54.

In certain embodiments, the mounting portion 46 may be sized and adapted so as to attach to a joining surface along the portion of the container 12 and/or the container opening. For example, the reservoir 20 may be connected along the base wall, the at least one sidewall or some other portion of the inside the container. In an alternative embodiment, the mounting portion 46 may be removably attached to the joining surface.

The delivery device 40, the container 10 and/or the portion of the container 12 may be integrally formed. The delivery device 40 and/or the portion of the container 12 may be shaped and/or adapted so as to form an identifiable configuration. The identifiable configuration may indicate to a seller the predetermined add-on housed within the delivery device 40. As mentioned above, the delivery device 40 may be connected to a removable lid 42 for the container 10, whereby the removable lid 42 may be the identifiable configuration of a predetermined shape. The identifiable configuration may include, but not be limited to, a predetermined color that indicates the predetermined add-on housed within its reservoir 20; for example, the removable lid 42 is red colored indicating a delivery device 40 attached thereto wherein the delivery device 40 houses the predetermined add-on of an espresso shot.

The method of using the present invention may include the following. The tracking system 100 disclosed above may be provided. A seller may provide at least one type of delivery device 40, wherein the delivery device 40 and/or the portion of the container 12 forms a specific identifiable configuration. The seller may sell the delivery device 40 associated with the predetermined add-on as an additional revenue stream for their business. The seller may place said delivery device 40 near the underlying purchased product. For example, at a coffee shop, the seller may place an espresso add-on delivery device 40/removable lid 12 near the coffee machines so as to be recognizable to the consumer and identifiable to the seller at the point of sale. This solves sellers' problem with properly identifying the predetermined add-on as its sale will now be clear to the retailer at the point of sale.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A delivery device for delivering a predetermined add-on to a container, wherein the predetermined add-on, comprising: a reservoir housing the predetermined add-on; a seal disposed along a portion of the reservoir, wherein the seal is displaceable in a sealed position and a ruptured position; and a de-sealer configured to displace the seal to the ruptured position, wherein the reservoir is configured to connect to an inner portion of the container.
 2. The delivery device of claim 1, wherein the delivery device forms an identifiable configuration indicative of the predetermined add-on.
 3. The delivery device of claim 1, wherein the portion of the container forms an identifiable configuration indicative of the predetermined add-on.
 4. The delivery device of claim 1, wherein the de-sealer is a pull string.
 5. The delivery device of claim 3, further providing a mounting portion for attaching to the portion of the container.
 6. The delivery device of claim 5, wherein the mounting portion is integrally formed to the portion of the container.
 7. A predetermined add-on purchase tracking system comprising: a container providing a containment space for an underlying purchased product; and a delivery device comprising: a reservoir housing the predetermined add-on; a seal disposed along a portion of the reservoir, wherein the seal is displaceable in a sealed position and a ruptured position; and a de-sealer configured to displace the seal to the ruptured position, wherein the delivery device is attached to a portion of the container so that the rupture position communicates to the containment space, and wherein the portion of the container forms an identifiable configuration indicative of the predetermined add-on.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the portion of the container provides a de-sealer opening for receiving the de-sealer.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the de-sealer opening communicates between the containment space and an exterior portion of the container.
 10. The system of claim 7, wherein the portion of the container is a removable lid.
 11. The system of claim 7, wherein the identifiable configuration is a predetermined color.
 12. The system of claim 7, wherein the identifiable configuration is a predetermined shape.
 13. A method of identifying the purchase of a predetermined add-on by utilizing the system of claim 7, comprising the steps of: integrally forming the delivery device to the portion of the container; coloring the portion of the container a predetermined color; and placing the portion of the container in visual proximity of an underlying purchased product. 